Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers began making records in the 70’s. Now some 40 years later Tom is still a pillar of musical genius. He began playing guitar during his high school years in the 60’s. His style is considered to be slow and bluesy, the definitive sound of Southern Rock. Now, I know that artist’s hate genre branding, but Petty and his band helped defined the genre, not many artists can say that.

Petty’s music features a lot of acoustic rock styling's mixed with bluesy funk sounding riffs. It’s great music to just sit and chill too or sing along with while in the car. While other artists were developing their music into a more metal and glam feel, Petty and The Heart Breakers were continuing to shape their own music, away from the glitz and glamour that was overtaking the nation during that time.

Tom and the band remained true to their roots and continued to create music that people both liked and was different than the other bands that were emerging during the late 70’s and early 80’s.

Tom and the band are great influences to their fellow musicians standing up strong for artist rights. I think this is important as well because artist’s should have creative control over their music. Tom wanted control over what label would manage his music back in the 70’s when the record company tried to switch labels on him without his consent.

Personally, I think Tom just wanted to say in the loop, and why not? Every artist wants to know where their money is coming from.

Petty is mostly known for playing Gibson and Fender Guitars. Most notable of his collection are his Gibson Dove and his 1964 Strat in sunburst. He has also designed a Signature model Rickenbacker guitar for Rickenbacker Guitars. Rickenbacker guitars were originally made famous by the Beatles.

The history of the band stems from 1976 when the group, consisting of Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Ron Blair, Benmont Tench, and Stan Lynch, began working on their debut self titled album. The album wasn’t immediately successful for the band. In fact the band wouldn’t become successful until three years later with their release of Damn the Torpedoes, released under a new record label.

The band would continue on adding and subtracting members over the years. Fellow band mates of the crew included Howie Epstein, Scott Thurston and  Steve Ferrone.

The band have released a total of ten albums thus far, the most current being The Last DJ in 2002. Petty has also enjoyed a lucrative solo career while releasing three solo albums during this time. His most recent solo work is called Highway Companion and was released in 2006. Tom is also a member of the Traveling Wilburys, a super group comprising of Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, George Harrison and Jeff Lynne.

Tom Petty and The Heart Breakers are a band known for their talents in the art of story telling. Most, if not all of their music, tells a story. This is a great artistic talent to have because it gives listeners something entertaining to listen too.

This also sets them apart from many other bands that just infuse emotion into their music. Tom Petty and The Heart Breakers music has pulp to it. It gives you something to follow along with as you listen to it. It’s great thinking music.

Throughout the years Tom has also focused his talents into the realm of television, appearing on an episode of the Simpsons where he attempts to teach Homer about songwriting. Other spots include small parts in the movies FM, Made in Heaven and The Postman.

With amazing talent, awesome songs and a rock attitude that invented Classic Rock Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers have won their way into the hearts and souls of many die-hard fans all over the world. Their music is truly inspiring and has served as a base for many new artists of today. They have and will always continue to lift up the spirits of fans, where ever they may be.

Taylor Swift is one of the best new artists of our time. Her dazzling personality and pleasant demeanor are truly inspirational. Taylor is mostly considered to be country artist with elements of rock and pop intertwined within her music. Her dynamic range of vocal talents offer her fans a glimpse into the life of this rising star.

I’ve always liked her singing, I think her songs to be both comical and original in nature. This trait makes for a good artist because it’s important to remember what your values are.

Ms. Swift’s songs are full of both feeling and adventure, this keeps her fans always wanting more. Taylor has shown dedication to her loyal fans and is active in many areas to help improve their lives. In this way she has shown her kindness both with and without her music.

Taylor has entered a difficult time for female music performers trying to make it big. Among other performers like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Avril Lavigne; Taylor has set herself apart from the rest in trying to find her own way in the world of music.

She has released two albums thus far, her first album in 2006 that contained her first hit single entitled “Tim McGraw” and her second album in 2008 entitled Fearless.

Both albums have had a good deal of hits on them showing that Swift’s music really has what it takes to get people to listen to her. If your a guy like me, this means that she sings a lot of songs that women love, so you may want to take notes.

Personally, I love the way Taylor sounds, she has a really pretty voice AND her songs are really good. She has that thing about her that just brightens your day, I don’t know, I think it’s something about the energy she brings to her songs. They are very moody at times but brutally honest at the same time.

She stays positive to help people through her art I think. This is a good thing because even though times can seem their darkest the human spirit can bring a shining light. Some refer to this as goodwill, others as good deeds. The great thing about music in general is that it delivers a message of hope even if you don’t need it. Taylors music is a lot like this.

Taylor is also a hottie, this is undeniable and I’m sure it doesn’t hurt with the publicity. The thing I like most about her is her music though and it always leaves me feeling good. Now, I’m not going to admit that I sit around in my car and rock out to Taylor Swift, c’mon now, I’m a dude. I like Metallica ok? But the way this star handles herself both on and off set is very admirable.

Taylor has also begun her own line of guitars, so if your a fan and play guitar be sure to check it out.

She has also won many awards even though it is early in her career. Her first album scored her a #1 spot on the Billboard Top Country Albums, a Breakthrough Video of the Year, and two #1 songs. Her second album debuted at #1 on the charts and won 4 CMA Awards for Album of the Year, Music Video of the Year, Best Female Vocalist, and Entertainer of the Year. It has recently been re-released in a deluxe version of Fearless with some new material on it.

Taylor has also seen some controversy in her career with the highly publicized MTV Music Awards Show debacle, where rapper Kanye West caused a scene during the show. He has since apologized for his behavior.

The future is bright for this shining artist and I know she will continue to sing her heart out to the world for many years still to come. We have not heard the last from this artist, not by a long shot. 

Darius Rucker is one of those artists that likes to expand his possibilities in his life. His vast range of musical skills has led this artist to release an album that sold 16 million copies and to further expand his musical portfolio with genre bending songs.

Darius first performed professionally with Hootie and the Blowfish which started in 1994. Their first album Cracked Rear View is one of the most memorable albums of the 90's.

With Cracked Rear View the world was introduced to a melodic mix of bluesy loved soaked tales that the band used to swoon it's way into the hearts of millions of adoring fans. Some tracks featured on the album were "Hold Her Hand", “Only Want to Be With You", and "Let Her Cry".

The band since then created four additional full-length studio albums and they performed relatively well for the group. The band also was featured on the Friends Soundtrack with their single "I Go Blind", which became widely popular during that time.

Darius also expanded his musical career by playing with several different performances during this time. One such artist is Edwin McCain which he shares some of the singing duties on the song "Solitude".

The band also formed their own record label, Breaking Records,  in 1996 due to their success. Some artists featured on this label included The Meat Puppets, Little Children and Treehouse.

Along with helping with producing with these bands, Hootie also recorded a song for the movie Me, Myself and Irene during this time.

Since then Darius has put Hootie and The Blowfish on the back burner to cross over to the realm of Country Music. While he’s still a member of Hootie and The Blowfish his new solo career is performing quite well for this artist.

Darius’s solo album, titled Learn to Live, is shaping up to be one of the hottest country albums of this decade. It currently features three #1 hit singles on the album. Hits included on this album feature “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It”, “Alright”, and “It Won’t Be Like This for Long”. This is quite an astonishing feat for any artist to achieve.

Born John Anthony Gillis, Jack White III is considered to be one of the greatest independent artists of our time. Jack has been involved with severall music and film projects in recent years and is highly respected amongst his fellow peers of professionals.

Jack first played professionally with a band called Goober and The Peas in metro Detroit before founding The White Stripes in 1997. John teamed up with Meg White and the couple had married, with John taking her last name.

At first the band presented themselves as siblings and many people in the general public believed the couple to be brother and sister. This was later proved false and the couple divorced shortly after.

While The White Stripes were still around they recorded a lot of material, mostly using independent recording techniques. This is quite impressive due to the amount of solid hits that the band produced. The White Stripes created six studio albums while they were together. These included their self titled album along with other albums like Elephant, Get Behind Me Satan, De Stijl, White Blood Cells and Icky Thump.

All of these albums contained memorable tracks, high-lighted on these albums are songs such as “Jimmy the Exploder”, “Hello Operator”, “Hotel Yorba”, “Fell in Love with a Girl”, “Offend in Every Way”, “We’re Going to be Friends”, “Seven Nation Army”, “The Hardest Button to Button”, “Little Ghost”, and “Icky Thump”.

What made this songs so great is how they sounded, the intricate way Jack performed complicated guitar solo’s coupled with Meg’s hard driving rhythm on the sticks. It’s not all about the instrumentals though, the lyrics on these albums were obscure but catchy and very well done. 

In 2005, Jack started up another band called The Raconteurs and the band also enjoyed some success for Jack and the rest of the band by recording two studio albums during their time together. Their most notable song would be “Steady as She Goes” from Broken Boy Soldiers. The band also went by the name The Saboteurs in Australia due to the fact that there was already a band by the name of The Raconteurs there already. 

Jack’s latest band is called The Dead Weather and was formed in 2009. They currently have a new album out entitled Horehound which is available through links on this page. 

The great thing about Jack White III is his style of guitar. The bluesy melodies and rude sounding power riffs are at the core of what makes this artist unique. In the White Stripes he and Meg are famous for taking relatively simple sounds and turning them into a very workable musical format with a one of a kind sound and feel to them. For example “Seven Nation Army’s” drum beat is very simple but the contradicting guitar riff compliments the sound perfectly.

Jack is not only a musician, he’s also appeared in several films as well. His first role was in a 1987 movie called The Rosary Murders where he played an alter boy. During this time, Jack was actually considering joining the priesthood but instead decided to evolve his musical talents instead. Other movies that include Jack are Mutant Swinger from Mars, Cold Mountain, Coffee and Cigarettes, The Fearless Freaks, Walk Hard, Shine a Light, and It Might Get Loud.

The future is bright for this talented performer and artist. His diverse musical talents and recording experience have lead this artist to stardom. He continues to influence an army of guitar playing rockers around the world and has helped other bands along the way as well. He’s worked with artists like Loretta Lynn, Alicia Keys, Soledad Brothers, the Muldoon's, Whirlwind Heat, the Von Bondies, Rachelle Garniez, Dan Sartain, Transit and Mildred and The Mice performing on some tracks and producing on others.

With such a diverse set of creative skills Jack White III continues to impress, no matter what the name of his current band is. He will continue to create awesome works of musical genius. We can only wait to see what’s next for this talented performer and producer.